Last Tweets

The Baltimore Jewish Times publishes unidentified photographs from the collection of Jewish Museum of Maryland each week. If you can identify anyone in these photos and more information about them, contact Jobi Zink, Senior Collections Manager and Registrar at 410.732.6400 x226 or jzink@jewishmuseummd.org.

Date run in Baltimore Jewish Times: December 13, 2013

PastPerfect Accession #: 1994.161.001

Status: Partially Identified – can you help us name the rest of the people in this Hadassah Group Photo? Photo by Morton Oppenheimer.

The following collection is made up entirely of archives – no objects and no photographs. The images that you will see in this post represent some of the organizations that fell under the Baltimore Zionist Federation, but here at the JMM the activities of the BZF can only be found in the written word. The written word is, of course, very important, but it can only give us a partial understanding of a person or an organization, just has having a lone photograph can tell us some but not all of the story. Having written documents, photographs and objects supporting each other can be extremely important in order to understand the past. It’s also more visually interesting. I’m an archivist so I love letters and diaries and meeting minutes, but I like putting faces to the names I read, or seeing the object they discuss. Think about that as you go about your day-to-day life at home and at work – how much are you documenting and in what way?

Tzedakah box issued by Hadassah, 1993. 1993.92.2

Baltimore Zionist Federation

Records, n.d, 1972-1978

MS 76

The Jewish Museum of Maryland

ACCESS AND PROVENANCE

The Baltimore Zionist Federation Records were donated to the Jewish Museum of Maryland by Mrs. Sylvia Goldman in 1985 as accession 1985.73. The collection was processed in July 2001 by Alisa Rose.

Access to the collection is unrestricted and is available to researchers at the Jewish Museum of Maryland. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the Jewish Museum of Maryland before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.

The American Zionist Federation was established in 1970 as an “umbrella” organization to unite all American Zionist organizations. It sponsors and promotes Zionist and Israel-related youth activities, educational programs, and public and communal affairs. The Baltimore branch of the American Zionist Federation, the Baltimore Zionist Federation, was established in 1971 to serve as the “umbrella” organization for many local organizations including Hadassah, the Baltimore District of the Zionist Organization of America, Mizrachi Men, Mizrachi Women, the American Labor Zionist Alliance Pioneer Women, and the Jewish National Fund. The Baltimore Zionist Federation has implemented many ongoing projects such as Aliyah Conferences, Ulpanim, publications of Zionist interest, and scholar-in- residence programs. In addition, they offer scholarships to Jewish students for travel and study in Israel.

Possible Baltimore Zionist District gathering. 1996.68.24.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The Baltimore Zionist Federation Records include correspondence with community leaders, local congregations, government officials, and scholarship applicants, newspaper clippings, articles relating toIsrael, and information relating to Baltimore Zionist Federation fundraisers and events. Folders titled “Baltimore Jewish Council” contain minutes from Baltimore Jewish Council Board Meetings which were attended by representatives from several local organizations including Baltimore Zionist Federation representatives. Collection also includes a petition that was sent to the Maryland Congressional Delegation requesting that they support H.R. 12203, the Foreign Assistance Contingency Resolution, which was intended to provide funds toIsrael. Folders are arranged alphabetically by folder title.

We are only one manuscript collection away from 200! This collection is small, but includes documents from two generations of the same family — Gussie Levin and her daughters Gertrude and Nannette. All three women shared a dedication to Hadassah and education.

The Gussie Levin Family Papers were donated to the Jewish Museum of Maryland by William Saxon, Jr. in 1994 as accession 1994.078. Jennifer Vess processed the collection in October 2011.

Access to the collection is unrestricted and is available to researchers at the Jewish Museum of Maryland. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the Jewish Museum of Maryland before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library’s usual procedures.

Augusta“Gussie” Schlichter (c.1868-1927) married Mordecai Levin (1865-1893) on May 19, 1889 at Chizuk Amuno,Lloyd StreetinBaltimore. Mordecai had immigrated to theUnited Statesfrom eitherGermanyorRussiaand was Louis H. Levin’s cousin. Mordecai helped found the Baltimore Talmud Torah. Gussie was an active member of Hadassah from the beginning of the organization. In later life she taught at theChizukAmunoCongregationSchool. Gussie and Mordecai had two daughters, Gertrude Levin Saxon (b. March 1890) and Nannette Levin (1891-1987).

Prior to her marriage Gertrude taught in theBaltimore City public school system. She married William Saxon, a lawyer, on February 24, 1915 at Chizuk Amuno. They had a daughter, Marjorie born c. 1916/1917 and a son William Saxon, Jr. born c. 1925. Gertrude was involved with Hadassah and in the 1930s served as the President of Seaboard Hadassah, Regional Unit. William Saxon, Jr. was a pilot during World War II.

Nannette graduated fromEasterHigh Schoolin 1907 and became a teacher inBaltimore City public schools. Eventually she served as the principal ofCommodoreJohnRogersElementary School. She retired in 1957. She also taught atMorganStateUniversity, the Women’s Institute atBaltimoreHebrewCollege, and Baltimore Hebrew Congregation. Nannette was involved with the board of Jewish Education and, like her mother and sister, with Hadassah.